


A Walk in the Park

by oh_so_shiny



Series: Cut & Run Zoofic AU [1]
Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Cut & Run Zoofic AU, Eventual Smut, Fluff and Crack, M/M, Ty Grady with cat ears and a tail, Zoofic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-03
Updated: 2016-03-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 23:12:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,055
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oh_so_shiny/pseuds/oh_so_shiny
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Zoofic!  A Zane at the end of his rope gets one last chance at love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unfortunately, I can't take credit for the idea of Zoofic. I'm pretty sure it started out with anax imperator, skydark, and velvet mace in the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom, but the concept was so great it stuck with me over the years. I mean, characters as humanoid breeds of animals? With fluffy ears and tails? Hell, yeah! So, anyway, here's my attempt at zoofic. I hope y'all enjoy.

It was the smell that caught his attention first. He'd been making his way past the park when the scent of male and testosterone hit him, making him stop dead in his tracks.

Earthy. Vaguely feline. A male of suitable age, healthy and unmated. Zane opened his mouth and breathed in deeply, tasting the air, letting it flow over his Jacobsen's organ.

_Here. I am here, this is where I live, and if you come near me I will rip your face off and shove it into the hole where your mouth used to be._

A wealth of information flooded his senses. Zane could tell, for instance, that the creature in question was younger than he was, strong and at the top of his physical game. The creature was also fastidiously clean, because Zane could smell soap and the metallic bite of city water. The creature had probably been bathing in the fountain he'd seen in the city square.

Zane snorted. He was dealing with a Ty, then. The bad temperament paired with obsessive cleaning were dead giveaways.

But still, a Ty alone. Unmated and receptive... or as receptive as a Ty got, anyway. There was enough musk in the air to coat his tongue and the back of his throat when he inhaled. Sweet, earthy and pungent, he wanted to wrap himself in the scent and roll around in it-

Zane shook his head to clear it. Jesus, he'd been alone too long if he was thinking about taking on a Ty. And to his growing horror, he realized he was seriously considering it.

He'd been on the move for a long time, and it was starting to wear him down. Zane sighed, running a hand over his face. He needed a shave badly. Hell, he needed a haircut and a shower. His hair had always been a shade too thick, too unruly for his liking, and now it was starting to brush the back of his shoulders and catch in his eyelashes. He flicked a black curl out of his eyes with a huff and wondered how long it would be until the grey at his temples spread.

 _Soon enough._ He was old, for a Zane. Old, and lonely, and he'd spent too many nights bedding down under overpasses and on top of city benches.

Sniffing once again at the heady mix of musk and potential mate, Zane squared his shoulders and headed for the park entrance. If he was lucky, he'd have a soft bed to sleep in and a warm body to keep him company for the foreseeable future. And if not... Zane smiled grimly. Well, then at least it was a hell of a way to go.

Decision made, Zane hummed to himself as he walked through the front gate, pausing to take in the scenery. It was actually pretty nice. Most big city parks just paid lip service to the idea of open space and locals were lucky to get a handful of trees and a swing set. Baltimore had hit the jackpot; a couple of paths extended from the entrance toward a baseball diamond, a duck pond and a playground, while several others meandered across an immense open field toward an extremely dense tree line.

Everywhere Zane looked, people were playing catch and picnicking on the green. The city's entire canine population seemed to be enjoying the temperate spring weather, and Zane was not altogether surprised to be waylaid by an enormous labradoodle less than 20 feet from the entrance.

Zane nodded at the harried owner and held out his hand for the dog to lick. "Hey, buddy. Enjoying the sunshine?"

ROWF!

"Guess that's a yes," Zane laughed as the dog slobbered its way up his forearm. When it became clear that the animal had no intention of stopping the bath any time soon, the dog's owner shot Zane a sheepish grin, finally giving the leash a firm tug.

"Sorry about that. He's normally so well-behaved, I don't know what's gotten into him," the man said, half-leading, half-dragging the dog away.

 _I do_ , Zane thought, waving goodbye. His own tail twitched minutely in the confines of his pant leg. "No problem."

Zane liked dogs, and they tended to like him back. They were honest in their affections. Zane appreciated that. Tys, on the other hand, had little appreciation for dogs, so it was not altogether surprising that the Ty Zane sought was making himself scarce. In fact, Zane thought as he glanced around, he had no doubt that if the park had a leash-free doggie zone somewhere, the Ty's den would not be within a three mile radius.

The question then naturally became where _would_ he find the Ty? Zane sniffed experimentally in several directions. After a moment's consideration, he focused on one path running parallel to a creek and leading directly into the woods. Tys weren't big on crowds either, and Zane was willing to bet that this one had probably built his shelter deep within the forest, away from dogs and prying human eyes.

Zane pressed on. The crowds thinned to a couple of joggers and a spandex-clad bicyclist, and all the while, the delicious scent beckoned him, growing stronger as he made his way to the forested area.

As he walked, Zane considered that there was no guarantee that the Ty would accept him. Tys were notoriously twitchy creatures, and he put his odds at 2:1 that the Ty would swing first and ask questions later. If the wind suddenly changed, there was a good chance the Ty would scent him and Zane would be looking at a possible ambush.

Did he really want to risk everything now because he was feeling a little lonely?

 _Yes_ , Zane thought, his heart thrumming in his chest. _I do._

"There's no fool like an old fool," Zane murmured to himself, finally stepping into the trees. The creek beside him burbled in quiet agreement.

Taking in his surroundings, he could definitely see the appeal of the Ty's chosen territory. Tys did not do well in confined spaces. Living in the city offered convenience, but here in the park there was green grass, blue sky. Space to run and jump, but also plenty of trees and tall brush to fall back on for cover. There were ducks and geese by the pond to chase. There was small game in the forest, Zane could smell it. His mouth watered. When was the last time he'd eaten?

Depending on how things went with the Ty, perhaps he'd hunt tonight.

A sly voice in the back of his brain whispered that perhaps he and the Ty could hunt together, and Zane shoved the thought into a box in the back of his brain and slammed down the lid. _Stupid._ He shook his head, grimacing. He couldn't afford to get distracted now-

Especially since movement on the path ahead of him indicated his quarry was closer than he'd thought.

Zane hurled himself off the path and swung behind a thick, dead tree. Thank god he was downwind! The Ty couldn't smell him... but he could certainly smell the Ty, the scent twice as powerful as before, tickling his nostrils and making him lightheaded. Did the Ty taste as good as he smelled? Damn, he wanted to lick him and find out.

After a long moment of listening to his heartbeat thunder in his ears, Zane risked a quick peek. The Ty was still far away, a small figure trotting along the path in the opposite direction toward Zane. The next time Zane snuck a look, the Ty was closer and squatting next to the brook with a stick, poking at something in the water.

Alright, he had the Ty in his sights and off guard. Now what?

Zane leaned back against his tree, tail twitching against his thigh. Now came the hard part. The Ty would be armed of course, no question about it, but ideally Zane would like to at least get past introductions before the shooting started. The key would be in the approach. He would have to be careful not to startle the Ty...  Deep in thought, Zane didn't realize that his tail had begun to wag in earnest until it suddenly slipped out from the back of his pants and lashed against the bark with a THUNK.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath at both the noise and the pain and made a grab for his tail.

Zane had long since fallen into the habit of keeping his tail tucked down a pant leg so he could pass as human. The ears he could hide with hair, but the tail attracted unwanted attention from collectors who liked the idea of caging a rare, dangerous (and endangered) animal. Unfortunately, tucking it away wasn't always foolproof, especially when his emotions ran high.

Pointed ears swiveling, Zane tilted his head and held his breath. Had the Ty heard him?

Silence. Maybe his cover wasn't blown after all.

"I know you're there, asshole," said a gravelly voice somewhere very close to his tree. "You might as well come out."

 _Well, damn._ So much for the element of surprise. Zane sighed and moved slowly back onto the path, making sure to keep his hands in plain view.

And then he stared.

He couldn't help it. Holy mother of god.

The Ty was a glorious beast up close, lean and lithe, well-muscled and a little tan from spending time in the sun. Even his brown hair was sun-kissed, although it wasn't nearly as light as that of some of the 'Del-type' variants Zane had seen. This Ty had a stubborn profile, Zane noted, with jutting, generous lips that were made for kissing. He had a sharp nose and wide hazel eyes that glinted with green and gold flecks as the sun came out from behind a cloud and caught them just right. Like all of his breed, pointed, little, golden-furred cat's ears grew where a human's would. He also had a long, golden tail with a little floof of fur at the end.

"What are you staring at?" the Ty demanded, crossing his arms.

"You," Zane said truthfully, trying but failing to keep from smiling as the Ty's tail bristled and doubled in size. The Ty's eyes narrowed on him. Zane could feel those stunning eyes running over his body, assessing him, checking for weapons, so he took the opportunity to do the same. The Ty wore a brown leather jacket, a t-shirt and jeans, no doubt opting for a casual and comfortable pelt over style. Zane kind of wanted to tackle him.

"Are you looking for a fight?" the Ty asked after a moment.

"Not particularly."

"Then get lost."

"I'd rather not."

"Listen, this is my territory. Got it? Mine. See that brook? That's mine. That stand of oaks to the left? Mine, too. The path you're on? Mine. That dead tree you're standing next to? Wanna know who it belongs to?"

Zane took a breath to answer, but the Ty cut him off. "Me, that's who."

"The city of Baltimore would probably disagree," Zane said mildly.

"The city of Baltimore can kiss my ass," the Ty retorted. "And so can you."

Zane refrained from telling the Ty that he would have loved to kiss his ass, because from what Zane could tell after checking out how the Ty filled out his pair of jeans, it was an exceptionally fine one. "Should I even bother trying to explain why I'm here?"

"I don't care why you're here, I couldn't care in the least. See this?" The Ty waved a hand in front of his face. "This is me not caring. Why are you here?"

Zane raised an eyebrow. "I thought you didn't care."

"I don't. Shut up." The Ty shifted his weight, placing a hand on his hip. "So what do you want?"

"You do realize that it's hard to shut up and answer a question at the same time," Zane said, knowing he was baiting the Ty at this point but unable to care. He'd happily sit through a string of insults as long as the Ty continued to speak in that rolling growl of his. A slight twang in the vowels made Zane think he was dealing with a southern transplant, although not deep south. Mid-Atlantic, maybe? But that didn't seem quite right either. "Where are you from, anyway?"

"Why do you wanna know?"

"Just making conversation."

"I don't want to talk, I want you to go away," the Ty said pointedly, tail lashing. "What's it gonna take to make that happen?" After a long moment, the Ty sighed and scratched his chin. "West Virginia."

Zane grinned, nodding to himself. "West-By-God-Virginia. That explains the accent."

"I don't have an accent," the Ty said immediately.

"You sort of do."

"You have one too!"

"Do I?" Zane said, pursing his lips. He thought he'd lost his long ago.

"Yep," the Ty grunted. "Where the hell are you from, anyway?"

"Texas."

The Ty snorted. "Sorry about that."

"Yeah, well." Zane's lips twitched. "We can't all be mountain men."

"Shut up," the Ty grunted again, but his expression turned thoughtful. "Texas, huh?"

"Texas born and bred," Zane confirmed. "I walked away ten years ago and never looked back. And now here I am."

"And here you are," the Ty repeated. Zane caught the Ty eying his boots surreptitiously. He had to admit that they looked about as worn as the rest of him did. "You walk the whole way, Lone Star?"

"Just about."

"Huh. If you weren't here to challenge me I'd be impressed."

"Look, I swear I didn't come here for your territory."

"Why the hell not?" the Ty countered, eyes narrowing. "What's wrong with it?"

"Absolutely nothing," Zane said truthfully. "It's beautiful. I was just passing through when I caught your scent and decided to find you. I have no intention of hurting you."

"As if you could," the Ty scoffed, although Zane didn't think he was imagining the tension in the Ty's stance easing ever-so-slightly. "But if you don't want to fight and you don't want my land, what do you want?"

"You."

The Ty immediately tensed again. "I thought you said you didn't want to fight me."

"I don't want to fight. I want to mate."

The Ty's eyes grew so wide that Zane thought his eyes would pop out of his head. "Say what?"

Even as Zane wondered just how much longer it would take for the Ty to work through his shock and pull a gun (since they always did), the Ty slid a hand to the holster that had been hidden beneath his jacket and pulled out a Glock.

"I'll give you to the count of ten to get the hell out of my park. One. Two. Ten."

Zane smiled slowly as the Ty fingered the trigger, saying the only thing he could under the circumstances. "I like your gun."

 


	2. Chapter 2

Taking careful aim, Ty placed the Zane dead in his sights.

Ty was a damned good shot, and not just because he practiced every day on low-hanging tree branches and tin cans and muggers. Firing a sidearm came naturally to his species, and the BANG! whenever he pulled the trigger spoke to him on a very deep and personal level.

Simply put, he was a Ty. And Tys were scary.

Ty knew for a fact he was freaking scary because he'd once made an Alston cry just by looking at him.

So why the hell didn't the Zane standing in front of him look scared? Ty narrowed his eyes suspiciously at the Zane, golden tail lashing the air. The Zane had been on the move for some time and seen some shit - that was clear by the wear and tear on his pelt. His black leather jacket was scuffed and torn in places, and Ty was pretty sure there was a bullet hole in one of the sleeves. His blue jeans looked frayed at the knees.

Even so, he was appealing in a rugged sort of way, tall and broad-shouldered, with curly black hair threaded with grey at the temples and fine lines gracing the skin around his mouth and eyes. He was by far the oldest Zane Ty had ever come across.

When he'd first set out to find a territory of his own, he'd encountered a Zane or two over the course of his travels. They'd been slick characters, all silk shirts and designer pants, arrogant as fuck and ready to screw anything that moved. But the Zane standing in front of him had a crooked nose that had met the wrong end of a fist one too many times and the saddest dark brown eyes Ty had ever seen.  He thought that one of the Zane's ears might have been notched.

Ty’s chest throbbed. He kind of wanted to...shoot something. He cleared his throat.  "So here's the thing," he said slowly. "Normally when I pull my gun on someone," and here he hefted the gun for emphasis, "they scream and run away, so I'm not sure where to go from here."

The Zane smiled wryly.  "Can I make a suggestion?"

"No."

"Well that's just rude."

Ty glowered at the Zane and wiggled the barrel of the gun to get his point across. "Dude, you're the one who crashed this party, so I get to be rude if I want.  Also, I'm holding the gun."

"I had noticed." The Zane nodded at Ty's weapon. "Glock 22?"

"40 caliber. Standard magazine holds 15 rounds."

"How does it handle?"

"Like a dream."

"Durable?"

"Glocks are tough as shit," Ty said, warming to his topic even while he wondered what the hell he was doing. "They take a beating and keep on trucking. I've dinged mine up more times than I can count, gotten it muddy... Hell, I even dropped it in the pond once, but it worked fine once I cleaned it and got it dry."

The Zane raised an eyebrow. "You dropped your gun in the pond?"

"Not on purpose! I was fishing and it just sorta...slipped."

Both of the Zane's eyebrows rose at this admission. "You were fishing?"

"Alright, technically I was _shooting_ , but I was shooting at the fish so it totally counts as fishing."

"Ah."

Ty felt his face redden and let out a low growl. Why was he even trying to explain himself?  "I didn't want to dig around for bait and I was hungry, ok?"

"I see," said the Zane. 

They stared at each other.  "Don't judge me," Ty said finally.

The Zane solemnly shook his head. "I wouldn't dare."

"Because if you're gonna judge me," Ty continued, "I feel that it's only fair to remind you that you're the one waltzing into someone's territory unannounced and hiding behind trees. Which, by the way, is a damned stupid thing to do." Ty paused to lash his tail from side to side to underscore his point. "Where's your sense of self-preservation?"

The Zane shrugged a shoulder, and Ty felt his blood pressure skyrocket.

"Listen, you don't just sneak up on a Ty unless you have a deathwish. Can you even defend yourself?"

The Zane flicked his wrists and between one blink of the eye and the next, he held knives in each hand. Ty's grip tightened on his gun, but the Zane made no move toward him. He simply bent his wrists a little more, letting Ty see the sheaths hidden under his jacket sleeves. Another quick flick of the wrists sent the blades back out of sight.

Ok, maybe that was a little impressive. Ty let out a low whistle. "Nice."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, but you're still certifiable."

This pronouncement made the Zane laugh, a warm, rolling rumble of sound that stroked along Ty's senses and made his ears twitch. "Seriously! Just what am I supposed to do with you?"

The Zane stopped laughing. "You could keep me," the Zane suggested quietly.

Ty's eyes flew to the Zane's, and as they met his heart did a slow roll. Oh, damn it to hell. "I don't get it. Why would you even _want_ me?" Ty asked a little desperately. "You can't tell me you don't have a mate already, not at your age."

The Zane’s smile faded. "I did have a mate once," he said softly. "A Becky. She died."

"Oh." Ty's tail drooped in sympathy. "Sorry."

"Not your fault. A Henninger got her."

Ty shivered, his ears flattening against his head. A Henninger had attacked the family den shortly after his brother was born, attracted by the scent of the newborn kit. It had taken the combined efforts of his entire family to kill it.  His brother had been left with a permanent limp and his great-grandmother had been blinded in the process. "Did you kill it?"

The Zane’s eyes shifted from dark brown to cold obsidian so quickly that Ty felt chilled. "Yes."

Ty gave a firm nod of approval. "Good," he growled.

The Zane’s eyes warmed to a rich ochre even as Ty watched. "Yeah," he replied softly. They stared at each other for another few seconds or so before the Zane looked down, clearing his throat. "So. You still planning to shoot me?"

Ty blinked and followed the Zane’s glance downward to where his gun hung limply from his trigger finger. "Well...shit."

The Zane had trespassed into his territory and tried to sneak up on him, true. But Ty could tell when people were lying to him, and the Zane hadn’t been lying about his intentions. He hadn’t come to fight.

He seemed lonely and he looked like he hadn’t slept in weeks.

And he was kind of...pretty.

Tail flicking decisively, Ty nodded, his mind made up. "Alright. I’m putting my gun away, but that doesn’t mean I can’t kick your ass." Ty moved closer to the Zane. "I’m approaching," he added belatedly.

"I can see that," the Zane replied mildly. His dark eyes sparkled, giving Ty the distinct impression that he was laughing at him.

Ty narrowed his eyes at the Zane one last time before finally coming close enough to snuffle at him, allowing the Zane to sniff him in turn.

It was his first real chance to get a handle on the intruder's scent, although it occurred to him that the Zane had approached from downwind and so had probably had Ty's scent mapped before he'd even entered the forest. Sneaky bastard. Ty's inner predator approved and awarded stealth points accordingly.

The more Ty sniffed, the more obvious it became that the Zane hadn't bathed in a while, and the scent coming from the Zane's underarms was especially pungent. Instead of shying away though, Ty stuffed his nose into the juncture of Zane's armpit and breathed deep, letting the Zane's scent linger in his nose and work its way to the part of his brain that categorized his world.

 _Zane_. This is what the Zane smells like. Not prey or an enemy. Remember.

Underneath the funk of stale sweat and car exhaust was the singular scent of Zane himself, surprisingly smoky-sweet, kind of tangy with hints of leather. It wasn’t a bad smell at all; heat flared deep in the pit of Ty's belly, making him want to roll around on his back in the grass. The Zane smelled downright yummy, but Ty didn't want to eat him.

He tilted his head to the side as the Zane leaned forward and inhaled, strangely nervous as those dark eyes slid nearly closed. It was important that the Zane liked what he smelled, although Ty would be hard pressed to say why.

"Do I pass muster or what?" Ty asked when he couldn't stand it any more.

The Zane opened his eyes slowly, his lids heavy as he stared at Ty. "You smell good."

Ty felt absurdly pleased. He stepped backward, nodding once, grabbed the Zane by the upper arm, and began dragging him back towards the path. "C'mon."

"Where to?" The Zane trailed behind Ty, letting him lead the way.

"To the city fountain. You aren't getting anywhere near my den until you take a bath." Ty sniffed pointedly in Zane's direction, wrinkling his nose. "You stink."

"Fair enough," the Zane said easily.

 


End file.
